How we award research grants
We strive to ensure that your money is used to fund brain tumour research of the highest quality that will be of the greatest value to patients.
Our research grants are awarded only after a stringent review process involving brain tumour experts from around the world. In 2011, this process was recognised by the Association of Medical Research Charities for a second time with the award of a Certificate of Best Practice in Medical and Healthcare Research Peer Review.
We hold a ‘grant round’ roughly every 2 years, and always receive many more high-quality applications than we can fund. We are keen to support as many of these important studies as possible, so please keep fundraising and donating towards this valuable work.
We award research grants through a two-stage peer review process. Firstly, all eligible outline applications are sent to and reviewed by members of our Grant Review and Monitoring committee (GRAM). The GRAM is composed of an international team of scientific and medical experts and patient representatives. It is chaired by Professor Dame Ingrid Allen. A sub-committee from GRAM considers the outline applications and reviews, and decides which to invite to submit a full application.
Each full application is reviewed by experts who specialise in the application’s area of research. We use online databases and existing contact lists to identify individuals from around the world with the most relevant expertise for each application. We ask them to complete a form commenting on the originality, importance and costs of the application. Applicants then have an opportunity to respond to the peer reviews.
After this external ‘peer review’ stage, all the applications, review forms and responses are sent to GRAM who meet to moderate the peer reviewers’ assessments.
The final decisions about which projects to fund are made by our Trustees on the basis of the advice from the GRAM. They seek to ensure that all money is spent on the best research, with the highest potential for breakthroughs, and at an appropriate cost.
For more information about how we decide which grants to fund see our research grants decision-making overview.
Updated 16 January 2012